EUROPEAN HUMANITIES UNIVERSITY

Bachelor program of information and communication

ВА Media and communication

Spec. Visual culture and creative industries: audiovisual media

(television and cinema)

NASTASSIA YAROMENKA

3-year student, group 9

IMAGE-REPERTOIRE OF CONTEMPORARY AUDIOVISUAL MEDIA:

CASE OF FRAGRANCE COMMERCIALS

TERM PROJECT

Project supervisor: prof.

Ph.D. Almira Ousmanova

Vilnius, 2015

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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 3

Object of study ......................................................................................................................... 3

Objectives ................................................................................................................................. 4

The principle notions ................................................................................................................ 4

Research question ..................................................................................................................... 4

1. INTRODUCTION TO IMAGE-REPERTOIRE ...................................................................... 6

2. EROTIC VIEWING ............................................................................................................... 11

2.1. Sensation or Perception ...................................................................................................... 11

2.2. Erotic linguistics ................................................................................................................. 17

3. CONDITIONED SENSORY RESPONSE ............................................................................ 21

3.1. Agent Provocateur .............................................................................................................. 22

3.2. Rules of Provocation ........................................................................................................... 23

3.3. Significant Nature of Redolent Product .............................................................................. 25

4. NARCISSISTIC ZONE OF THE PSYCHE .......................................................................... 27

4.1. Adorable Imagery ............................................................................................................... 29

4.1.1. Aberrant decoding ........................................................................................................ 29

4.1.2. Semiotics of the absent signified .................................................................................. 33

4.1.3. Arousing Sound ............................................................................................................ 38

5. APPLYING INAPPLICABLE ............................................................................................... 40

5.1. Sexual Construct ................................................................................................................. 42

5.2. Conclusion? ........................................................................................................................ 44

CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................. 46

LITERATURE .............................................................................................................................. 49

ANNEX ......................................................................................................................................... 53

Questionnaire template ............................................................................................................. 55

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INTRODUCTION,

or the road to hell is paved with good intentions

During the first years of the studies one of the professors gave me advice that formed my

outlook at any research I have ever taken after: write about something that gets to you. That is

where this research idea took off from. For the past 6 years I have been trying to articulate the

way I feel about particular products of audiovisual media, such as music videos, commercials,

particular movie scenes, etc. That is where I started from, and the first part of my research has

been dedicated to aesthetics and specifics of contemporary popular music videos consumption.

The results were ravishing, but quite surface.

The research idea was born as a result of the clash of two truths of modernity: West

European model of the world is audiovisual and a modern man is without a breach of continuity

surrounded by informational codes. Hence, audiovisual is a prior form of today’s informational

flow. According to Boorstin, “images have become more interesting than the original and in fact

have become the original: ‘the shadow becomes the substance’. Advertisements, he argues,

encourage extravagant expectations because they are more dramatic and vivid than the reality –

reality cannot match up to the image (Dyer, 1988).

The evolution of modern person who is bombarded by encompassing audiovisual messages

is transmitted out by the means of mass communication is defined by Mehmet Rifat as follows:

“the new name of human being striving to signifying the world around him is ‘Homo

Semioticus’. The whole life of the signifying human is a “reading” odyssey from then on”

(Parsa). Semiotics, as science of signs, comes in hand to this ‘Homo Semioticus’ every one of us

is nowadays pushed to be.

For that simple reason I consider my decision to conduct a semiotic analysis of one of the

types of contemporary informational messages – a fragrance commercial – to be right in time

and place for the matter. But I am designing my research in a new, never-attempted before

manner – through the prism of image-repertoire, the notion firstly introduced by Roland Barthes

in the attempt to articulate the experience of viewing images. I strongly believe that anyone

watching a video or looking at an image, or even imagining things in mind when doing

something different, experiences image-repertoire to the extent of felt response to the imagery.

But my research attempt is very peculiar and narrow.

Object of study: image-repertoire of contemporary audio-visual media (fragrance

commercials).

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Objectives:

1. Reveal the distinctive features of image-repertoire;

2. Introduce image-repertoire to the audiovisual advertising discourse;

3. Identify the sources of eroticism in the experience of image-repertoire.

The principle notions: image-repertoire, sensation, perception, feeling, emotion, desire,

sensuous, sensual, sexual, social, erotic, adoration, meaning, signifier, signified, etc.

Research question: how image-repertoire becomes charged with erotic energy?

It is a journey through the nooks of image-repertoire searching for sources of erotic energy. It

was initially a call for help, a need for the answer, an attempt to articulate the internal experience

when watching contemporary audiovisual media. In the result, it turned out to be an insightful

investigation of the comprising parts of erotic experience of viewing a fragrance commercial.

The research consists of three major parts covering three main parties involved in the experience

of image-repertoire: the viewer, the audiovisual commercial and the process of viewing it.

Along the way the different sources were used in the attempt to answer the research question.

For the viewing part such topics as the gap between sensation and perception was addressed

through the theoretical framework of psychology and linguistics with the help of such authors as

Dr. Christopher L. Heffner, Bruce E. Goldstein, Eric Shouse, Ian Burkitt and George Herbert

Mead. The audiovisual commercial was put through semiotic analysis with the means of aberrant

decoding and the interpretative ideas of Roland Barthes, Umberto Eco, Roman Jakobson, Marcel

Danesi, John Fiske, Allen Guttmann, Jean Epstein and many others, along with plenty of online

resources. And the viewer, along with the contemporary discourse were addressed in original

empirical attempts in the form of:

1. an open questionnaire (see ANNEX 5 Questionnaire template) filled by 17 people aged

from 18 to 27 coming from 14 European countries in representation of 4 male and 13

female respondents;

2. 2 interviews taken from 11-year-old girl from Belarus replying to the same questions

from the questionnaire; and a current marketing and advertising department professor of

Fontys Academy for Creative Industries in Tilburg, the Netherlands, Sven van den Berg;

3. And an on-going online quiz1 filled by more than 200 people aged from 13 to 47 in

mixed gender representation.

1 On Arousal [cited on 19 February 2015; 13:11]. Available from the Internet

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1cp1NwEz3T40qQppwgHYyc26rQh9RGVyeg7qscpgcjnA/viewform?usp=send_form

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The results of theoretical and empirical parts of research fully covered the answer to the

research question, yet revealing potential for further investigation.

I see this research paper as a revealer to the extent of which it captures the dominant of

contemporary culture and society, and a collector in a sense of gathering the leading research

findings and techniques of audiovisual media, mainly fragrance commercials. A lot of it is can be

questioned due to the approach I have chosen – semiotics – which inevitable brings the method

of interpretation into the range of investigating tools. Furthermore, I set myself a hardly

reachable personal goal – to articulate the way I feel about audiovisual media. It is already hardly

attainable, because I concentrate on image-repertoire, which implies the failure of language to

capture the essence of it. Yet, I set myself onto this journey under the shield of a determined

research question beginning with “how” rather than “why”, which implies a specific list to be

made in the end. And it is not like going to hell, after all, but setting myself on a journey of

articulating the non-articulate experience conveys a slight chance of failure.

Nobody said it would be easy.

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1. INTRODUCTION TO IMAGE-REPERTOIRE

Before putting the notion into the chosen discourse of fragrance commercials, it is better to

figure out the nature of it. Many critiques and reviewers of Barthes tend to explain image-

repertoire as a relative equivalent to Lacanian imaginary – “a set of images functioning as

misunderstanding of the subject by itself” (Purves, 1991, p. 67) . Taken from there, I must admit

that from my perspective, image-repertoire in opposition to imaginary, is more of relation matter,

than a certain set of images. As Barthes states:

“Image-repertoire is lack of knowledge” (Barthes, 1989, p. 75), which basically means that

there cannot be a set of images, as a set presumes certainty and finality, which is always an issue

in Barthes’s discourse of image-repertoire and constant inability to express it, or to put it into the

verbal or final form. But the other part of Lacanian definition is value for in that

“misunderstanding” lays the distinctive feature of image-repertoire. But yet, misunderstanding

implies that there is a possibility to understand, and if there is such a possibility, then it is

presupposed to be understood, at least in the case of being charged with necessary tools. But in

Barthes’s notion, there is no promise of understanding, there is just “not understanding” at all.

His attempts are clear, but not promising. In lover’s discourse, he compares the attempt to

understand the feeling, or experience of adoration, to a child who destroys the clock with the

intention to understand time. As a result, we deal with an existing experience, which goes

beyond understanding. We can come up with the ways of explanation or rational approach to it,

but in the end, the essence of the experience stays sacred and not amenable by word form.

Yet Lacanian idea of “the other” comes of hand when understanding image-repertoire, as it

potentially involves “the other” and results in a particular character of the relationship. In Alan

Carroll’s edition they state the condition of “Recognised-self”, which means that the process or

experience of image-repertoire involves at least two: the person who experiences a certain

feeling and something that resonates or breeds this particular feeling (Purves, 1991). It is a two-

way process, which involves the whole range of conditions: situation, background, culture,

discourse, etc. But it clearly requires both parties to be present at the moment. And in the case of

my research those parties are the viewer with his or her personal and cultural background and the

audiovisual product of perfume industry with its message. There are two in image-repertoire: the

viewer and the viewer and the screen united. Image is the most powerful, it’s a carrier of the

image-repertoire nature.

As a vivid referent, “the image-repertoire would be undone in a kind of back-and-forth

movement between the Lacanian registers of the imagery and the symbolic”, which gives me the

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freedom to assume that the target of my research does not exclusively imply the visionary of the

viewer in the process of viewing an audio-visual product, but rather the idea he has, the

understanding or the attempts, the longing to understand that is being experienced, formed, felt

while viewing the product (Purves, 1991).

Another point for relationship status of image-repertoire is supported by the author’s

explanation of the thought process a lover goes through in dealing with his relationship. He

writes that this language is silent, and language implies that there is a conversation going on, he

does not state the parties of it, but he describes the process as “a set of realities that exist in the

lover's mind about his relationship. This image-repertoire is the reality of the lover whether

actually true or not outside his internal discourse. It is fragile and vulnerable to disruption.” It

once again proves the bigger notion than Lacanian Imagery, because it results in the person’s

reality, hence resulting in him or her taking action in a specific direction.

If to look at the definition of the relationship, it becomes clearer that it is exactly what is

happening in the framework of Barthes’s notion:

the way in which two or more people, groups, countries, etc., talk to,

behave toward, and deal with each other;

a romantic or sexual friendship between two people;

the way in which two or more people or things are connected (Dictionary:

relationship).

In the end, it is engagement, connection, behavioral reaction and a shade of romance or

sexuality. Taking into account author’s introduction of the notion in Lover’s discourse, we must

agree to acknowledging advantage of amorous possibility of meaning.

When searching for the answer to the research question, it is important to acknowledge the

fact that “image-repertoire is conditioned by the discourse” (Barthes, 1989, p. 64). That helps me

to presuppose a possibility of culture and societal environment I am conducting my research in.

It means that independently of the collected data from the interviewee and respondents, there is a

necessity to place those into the discourse of contemporary audio-visual culture as well as to take

into consideration the capitalistically driven, consumerism-wise educated generation of people

that will take part in the applied research. It will inevitably influence, if not define the essence of

the replies.

Barthes does not omit the principle of discourse when speaking of image-repertoire, on the

contrary, he accentuates the specifics of the issue, by stating that “on the level of discourse,

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objectivity – or lack of signs of the “speaker” – thus appears as a special form of image-

repertoire, the product of what we might call the referential illusion, since here the historian

claims to let the referent speak for itself (Barthes, 1989, p. 132). It is important to draw the

degree of dependence of the speaker, or the viewer when trying to articulate the experience of

viewing, thus giving me an idea if interpreting the results as “culture, or discourse speaking

through the viewers’ lips”. Barthes continues on this complication saying that “…sincerity

belongs to the realm of image-repertoire: a realm where the unconscious is least acknowledged”

(Barthes, 1989, p. 204). For that reason, I see it necessary to pay attention to non-subjected

content as much as to the directly subject-related one. I may shed a light onto the fact of a

cultural or societal construct, and prove or disapprove the actual possibility or relevance of

image-repertoire to the case of viewing fragrance commercials.

As the research deals with audiovisual product, I assume it possible to relate author’s

another observation on the peculiarity of the phenomenon. Being trapped in the visionary, he

addresses the biggest form of visionary the culture has ever achieved, the art of cinematography,

and as this kind of art can be seen as the methodological basis for an audiovisual commercial, I

find it crucial to state Barthes’s explanation, which goes as follows:

For such is the narrow range – at least for me – in which can function the fascination of

film, the cinematographic hypnosis: I must be in the story (there must be verisimilitude), but I

must also be elsewhere: a slightly disengaged image-repertoire, that is what I must have – like a

scrupulous, conscientious, organized, in a word difficult fetishist, that is what I require of the

film and the situation in which I go looking for it (Barthes, 1989, p. 347).

This is particularly important when preparing for the applied part of the research: how to

organize this hypnosis and how to veil it in such a way to avoid its acknowledgement by the

testees. Even though I cannot come up with an applicable way for me to do that at this point, I

totally comprehend my responsibility to at least bear it in mind when interpreting the results.

Furthermore, speaking of interpretation of the results, it is necessary to understand that

image-repertoire happens in the so-called narcissistic zone of the psyche, which makes the

process of viewing comparable to narcissistic reading, meaning “one projecting his image-

repertoire on text which he cannot write, but he cannot write without image-repertoire”. In other

words, at some point of the research the acknowledgement of the gap in any process happening

in the framework of image-repertoire has to be seen as the part of it, and not a complication, but

rather a trigger for the search for required and mostly existing explanation to it. The fact of

possibility to articulate this gap is questionable, but its recognition is inevitable.

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The fact that the research will face the complication denuded by Roland Barthes himself –

the failure of language to articulate the experience – pushes me outside the safe bowl of the

original source to the pond of interpretation. That is how I find a hand of help in the form of

psychological approach towards the matter in the names of such authors as Walter and Arthur

Staats. They say that “the verbal-image repertoire is composed of the words that elicit an image

in the individual”, which they call a conditioned sensory response (Walter W. Staats, 1996, p.

212). This information defines the theoretical design of everything yet to come, implying the

method of questionnaire and interview (the verbal image-repertoire) and the theoretical

framework I will use in the form of looking at the difference at sensation and perception, as well

as investigating the linguistic roots of sens-ory notions; where the fact of it being conditioned

will be covered by in the interpreting of the results section.

Taking everything into account, it becomes obvious that the journey I have set myself onto

is difficult and hardly promising to reach the final destination. Yet the complexity of the chosen

object provides me with applied potential for at least practical explanation of the phenomenon.

By the latter I mean the defined set of investigated parties and a relatively objective set of formal

traits of an audio-visual product. Thus, image-repertoire, being a relationship between the viewer

and the audiovisual product, implies the viewer and the product. The product consists of audio

and visual traits to which semiotic analysis is potentially applicable with the means of aberrant

decoding suggested by Umberto Eco. The viewer is a more complicated subject of the

relationship, as in this case we deal with several levels: societal/cultural, human and personal. So

that to be able to come up with a possible resolution, I will investigate the societal and cultural

background of the audiovisual culture in advertising discourse, refer to psychological aspects of

the perceptional process and to a certain degree take into consideration personal background.

In the limelight of image-repertoire and the boom of semiotics which is considered to be

over by now, I ask put myself to a very specific research question regarding this phenomenon,

which was taken from Ian Burkitt “How image-repertoire becomes charged with erotic energy?”

(Burkitt, 2002)

And as on the way to finding answers, it is crucial to cover all involved parties in the

process, because, presupposedly, the erotic energy might be coming from one of them, I set

myself onto step-by-step investigation of all the involved parties mentioned above: the

audiovisual product, the viewer and the viewing itself.

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The main features of image-repertoire taken into account, I see the case of fragrance

commercials to be the most relevant to the matter, and writing my first research paper on the

subject, I find it helpful to search the answers in the promising sphere.

And so parting from here, I summed the features of image-repertoire in Table 1 for them to

shape the upcoming research design.

Table 1 Image-repertoire...

And as it turns out, all of them fall perfectly in the framework of both parties involves, as

well as applicable for the comprising components of a research paper, so without further ado, I

set myself onto the journey of search for the sources of erotic energy of image-repertoire.

•defined the object of the research - fragrance commerials due to sensory nature of the viewing experince and the prior product -

the scrent

implies conditioned sensory response

•is covering the viewers' involvement in image-repertoire experience (because evertone has it)

happens in narcissistic zone of the psyche

•is principle for the investigation of the viewing process, especially in the case of sensation-perception dichotomy involves gap

•is questioned by the specifics of the audiovisual selection lacks knowledge

•crucial for the process of results interpretation, as well as the conclusion is conditioned by discourse

•shapes the research question the the research design has erotic nature

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2. EROTIC VIEWING

“Erotic” meaning, of, relating to, or tending to arouse sexual desire or excitement, comes

from the Greek ἔρως, eros—"desire") is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a

philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality and romantic

love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including

painting, sculpture, photography, drama, film, music or literature. It may also be found

in advertising. The term may also refer to a state of sexual arousal or anticipation of such – an

insistent sexual impulse, desire, or pattern of thoughts.

As stated above image-repertoire has erotic nature, but my research questions this nature as

image-repertoire of viewing fragrance commercials has never been questioned before. I objectify

each single pattern of the phenomenon so that to find, to identify the sources of erotic energy

with which image-repertoire becomes charged. I will start by looking at the process of viewing,

hence covering such important feature of image-repertoire as the presence of a gap.

2.1. Sensation or Perception

It’s a common mistake in the research sphere on commercials to exclusively address the

question of perception when investigating the effects of them on viewers. And the case of me

taking fragrance commercial denudes the importance of sensation in this analysis, because this

kind of commercials deals with sensual product, which both linguistically and semantically

points at sensation as prior process in the relationship between the product and the consumer.

In the case of a scent, we do not perceive it, we smell it. So we are dealing with sensual

perception, in the first case it is smell, in the second – sight and hearing. According to Levi-

Strauss, all the senses are interrelated, so if one of them is disturbed, this disturbance has the

potential and evoking sensation through another sensory canal. That is why, I may suppose that

when watching an ad, or smelling the fragrance, a person will recall the smell in the first case,

and will sense the memorable audio-visual sensation in the second one.

If we look at these processes thought psychological perspective, we will see that there is no

smooth transition between the two. The process of the so called perception is strictly divided into

two parts: sensation and perception, and in the case of audio-visual media, it is crucial to

understand.

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Sensation is a physical feeling or perception resulting from something that happens to or

comes into contact with the body2. Psychology defines sensation as the process by which our

senses gather information and send it to the brain (Heffner). From both definitions we can take a

notice of two important notions: physical feeling and the process. Taking into consideration the

electric nature of this process, we can easily assume that it happens instantly, but it is still a

process which takes time, even without us noticing it. And it is a feeling of physical or sensuous

nature.

Perception is conscious sensory experience, the basic component of which is the ability to

recognise. Recognition, coherently, is our ability to place an object in a category (Goldstein,

2010, p. 8). Along with those two experiences – conscious and sensory one – there is a place for

facts rather than processes. The process takes place in the form of transition between sensation

and perception, but the process happens as a sequence of separate factual events, and in this

particular case, we may speak of the sensuous triad of affect-feeling-emotion.

As Brian Massumi’s definition of affect goes in his introduction to Deleuze and

Guattari’s A Thousand Plateaus, affect is not a personal feeling. Feelings

are personal and biographical, emotions are social, and affects are prepersonal. A feeling is a

sensation that has been checked against previous experiences and labelled. And an emotion is the

projection/display of a feeling (Shouse). An affect is a non-conscious experience of intensity; it

is a moment of unformed and unstructured potential. In my research I concentrate on feeling-

emotion dichotomy, and not that much on affect, as I deal with perception of audiovisual

material, which involves consciousness in its major degree. It does not mean that a viewer is be

affected by the image, he is, but in the case of advertising the nature of affect (a non-conscious

experience of intensity; it is a moment of unformed and unstructured potential) does not seem to

match the goal – to sell the product, or more precisely, to make the viewer go and buy the

product, which seems to me a very formed and structured potential to be conveyed in the

advertising message. 2 Retrieved from Google search on 25 April 2015; 15:47.

emotion

f e e l i n g

a f f e c t

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I assume that for now it is clear that the process of sensation is associated with

unconsciousness and the fact of feeling, perception at the same time stands in front of us as a

conscious process with the corresponding to it fact of emotion. In-between there is a gap which

is filled by brain work of interpretation, i.e. brain receives the electric impulses and converts

them into information understandable for our consciousness which results in emotions. Even

though, according to Ian Burkitt “images are felt rather than consciously reflected upon (Burkitt,

2002)” which does not exclude sensation as one of the basic components of image-repertoire.

Emotions then are resulting in forming attitudes, making decisions and taking actions. Obviously

this process is the final point for the analysis of fragrance consumerism.

Before perception actually results into action, there is a certain degree of a gap between

two important comprisers of the process: feeling and emotion. Psychology does not concentrate

that much on this gap between the two because in most cases this transition takes place almost

instantly and naturally, but the fact that those two phenomena are so difference their essence-

wise, does not leave me a chance to skip my intention to find the linkage between the two.

Philosophy comes to in hand when searching for this sort of explanation. Ian Burkitt states

it in the following way:

We can sense the structure of feeling before we can consciously articulate this as a

composed of specific emotions. We could say, then, that feeling is part of practical consciousness

and involves the way we can act within our social world through a sense what has to be done.

Emotion, however, belongs to discursive consciousness and involves the way we articulate these

feelings through what Harre called emotional vocabularies. Through such vocabularies, we

reflect on our feelings and identify some as specific emotions (Burkitt, 2002).

George Herbert Mead accentuates the fact that emotion does not appear in the instant

moment of active bodily engagement. For us to identify a feeling as an emotion there has to be a

delay between the impulse and the action it calls forth, a space for reflection in which we can

identify the impulse or feeling as an emotion.

All is well, until Barthes states that “what we feel, then often remains an enigma for us”,

which breaks the backbone of my poor attempts to find the linkage between the two, but even

though, there is always language, dictionary and interpretation that are helpful on the way of

articulating the experience, or framing the phenomena out of nowhere.

And as stated before, feeling is personal and biographical, and emotion is social.

Moreover, if we look at the definitions of both we see that the nature of feeling is static, it is

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complete in its own experience. When we feel, especially when it happens in the framework of

sensory experience, it is a complete experience of its own. Emotion, on the other hand, is

an instinctive state of mind deriving from one's circumstances, mood, or relationships with

others, where the most important facts are state of mind, rather than sensory experience, which

derives from be it circumstances or relationships with others. It means that emotions are

conscious reactions or consequences of experience, which inevitably lead to taking an action.

The latter is the main goal of advertising, but in case of fragrances, which involve sensual

experience, i.e. feeling, there is a certain gap which has to be filled with explanation.

Conveniently, the phenomenon of desire comes of hand, when looked at from definitional

perspective. Desire is a strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to

happen, which means that it is a feeling (static nature of a feeling) with a certain degree of inertia

(active nature of emotion), or in other words, it is a feeling with emotional characteristics. In the

result, hopefully, we can agree, that desire might play a role of a linking point between feeling

and emotion, completing the above addressed gap between sensation and perception.

But we have to understand, and it is visible from the scheme, that desire does not equal

perception, it is not a process, but it happens almost simultaneously with it.

2.1.1. Desire

… is:

A longing or craving, as for something that brings satisfaction or enjoyment;

An expressed wish, request;

Sexual appetite or a sexual urge (desire).

Origin of the word: (v) early 13c., from Old French desirrer (12c.) "wish, desire, long for,"

from Latin desiderare "long for, wish for; demand, expect," original sense perhaps "await what

the stars will bring," from the phrase de sidere "from the stars," from sidus (genitive sideris)

"heavenly body, star, constellation" (but see consider). Related: Desired; desiring; (n) c.1300,

from Old French desir, from desirer (see desire (v.)); sense of "lust" is first recorded mid-14c.

(desire).

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Origin and definitions taken, I suggest summarizing the outcomes into one explanation of

the principle distinctive traits of the notions. It might be subjective, but I would concentrate on

the following range of words: enjoyment, expressed, sexual, heavenly body, star. All in all, we

can speak about that desire has to some degree a sexual nature, it is usually expressed, it brings

or at least implies enjoyment, and it has to do something with bigger than human’s bodily

experience in a sense of reaching out of its limits. It means that desire, being a feeling, may

depart from bodily sensations, but it projects itself outside of the body frame.

Looking into that, I have elaborated on desire concept by visualizing it as a basis of the

experience happening between sensation and perception.

Vividly, there is more to it except for the simple fact of it – it involves both arousal3, which is a

physiologic manifestation of the feeling; and excitement which is an external consequence of it.

This discovery, or rather a hypothesis is very important for the understanding of a domineering

sensory degree in the process of viewing a video, the positive outcome of which may result in

excitement and action in the form of buying a product. Following the idea, Stanford University

suggests 5 theories of desire based on different motives:

1. Action-based theories go as follows: For an organism to desire p is for the

organism to be disposed to act so as to bring about p.

2. Pleasure-based theories can be summed by : For an organism to desire p is for the

organism to be disposed to take pleasure in it seeming that p and displeasure in it

seeming that not-p

3. Good-based: For an organism to desire p is for it to believe p is good.

3 The acknowledgement of arousal is also crucial for the sake of its role as a trigger, especially in case encountering

an audiovisual product, which a fragrance commercial is, because both audio and image are supposed to cause

arousal, and which one is stronger in this case, the research will decide.

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4. Attention-based theories: For an organism to desire p is for the thought of p to

keep occurring to the organism in a favorable light, so that its attention is directed

insistently toward considerations that present themselves as counting in favor of p.

5. Learning-based theories: For an organism to desire p is for it to use

representations of p to drive reward-based learning (Desire).

Such an approach perfectly falls into a marketing jigsaw of any production industry4.

Desires are anticipated by marketing agencies, or are generated through cultural trends. And

having seen more than 200 fragrance ads, I was able to divide those cultural trends of desire into

4 categories: sensuous, sensual, sexual, social. But before looking at the combination of terms, I

suggest investigating the stated terms themselves, as they obviously play roles of erotic chargers

of image-repertoire.

Historically proven, all commercials are driven by desires (Todd Joseph, 1999). Combined

with the theories of desires and placed into the advertising discourse, we may conclude with the

following list of driving forces of a fragrance commercial:

Sensuous desire manifest itself in perfume commercials through such signifiers

as: smelling, wind, everything that reminds us of sensational experience: eyes closed, mouth

smiling, wind in the hair, the chest going up and down, lying down on a cozy sofa, smelling

flowers, running on grass, etc5.

Sensual desire is signified by such signifiers as touching skin, signs of bodily

excitement (open mouth, closed eyes, etc)6.

Sexual desire breaks though such signifiers as sexual touch (of the opposite sex,

most often). In such commercials more often both sexes are involved and the action is based on

their relations, be it anticipation, glances, dreams or the actual sexual intercourse represented in

aesthetic manner7.

Social desires are signified by various attributes of life style and social status:

cars, clothing, occupation, possessions, etc. In such ads both sexes can be involved by their

4 In the discourse of consumer fetishism Baudrillard gives a good point by saying that “the link between the fetishist

and the fetish is influenced by feelings of power and pleasure as well as the desire for these things. The fetishist is

simultaneously the subject and the object of a desire and the solicitor of desire” (Jean Baudrillard, 1981).

5 E.g. Pleasures Bloom by Este Lauder [cited on 6 January 2015; 15:45]. Available from the Internet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKLHTNPUWP0 6 E.g. Forbidden Euphoria by CK [cited on 6 January 2015; 15:48]. Available from the Internet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwAeYtswPjs 7 E.g. L’instant by Guerlain [cited on 6 January 2015; 15:51]. Available from the Internet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtwmyY42MkY

17

relations do not stress the sexual character. They may hold hands and even kiss, but they would

do that because they are a happy couple which primarily means secured social status rather than

sexual affair8.

Clearing up the first parts of the stated desires, I have collected basic definitions retrieved

from Google search:

“Social” meaning of or relating to society or its organization.

“Sensuous” meaning relating to or affecting the senses rather than the intellect.

“Sexual” meaning relating to the instincts, physiological processes, and activities

connected with physical attraction or intimate physical contact between individuals.

“Sensual” meaning of or arousing gratification of the senses and physical,

especially sexual, pleasure.

2.2. Erotic linguistics

But before we proceed with the actual investigation, I find it absolutely crucial to

understand the linguistic framework the research will be based on, mainly by addressing the

comprising notions of sensuous, sensual, sexual, social and desire.

When we look at the spectrum of words sensuous-sensual-sexual, they resemble each

other, and as the first two have the same stem, hopefully, the closer look at both of them will

denude their erotic potential, as well create a visible transition into the latter.

2.2.1. Sense

If we look at the word “sense”, we see that it covers a range of meanings (sense):

1. any of the faculties by which the mind receives information about the external world or

about the state of the body. In addition to the five traditional faculties of sight, hearing, touch,

taste, and smell, the term includes the means by which bodily position, temperature, pain,

balance, etc, are perceived

2. such faculties collectively; the ability to perceive

3. a feeling perceived through one of the senses: a sense of warmth

Those definitions taken, we see consequential slide into the notion of sensation as opposed

to perception. But if we proceed with reading the definitional column of "sense" we come across

the potential linkage between the two:

8 E.g. Sporty Sexy Glam by Michael Kors [cited on 6 January 2015; 15:59]. Available from the Internet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0yNM3LdisU

18

4. Sense, sensation refer to consciousness of stimulus or of a perception as pleasant or

unpleasant. A sense is an awareness or recognition of something; the stimulus may be subjective

and the entire process may be mental or intellectual: a sense of failure.A sensation is an

impression derived from an objective (external) stimulus through any of the sense organs: a

sensation of heat.It is also a general , indefinite physical or emotional feeling: a sensation of

weariness.

5. awareness, apprehension.

7. rationality.

9. estimation, appreciation.

13. signification, import, denotation, connotation, interpretation. See meaning.

16. feeling, sentiment.

19. discern, appreciate, recognize .

Starting with the 4th

point and going further, we see how sense gets detached from the

primary meaning related to 5 human senses, and becomes charged with intellect, which was

considered opposition in sensation-perception dichotomy. But as it can be drawn from the wide

range of definitions, sense does not exclusively relate to sensory experiences, but covers the

rational part of this experience as much. Moreover, in day-to-day conversation, the highest level

of comprehension, or understanding between people participating in conversation is usually

concluded in “I feel you” affirmation, which basically means more that rational understanding, it

means relation to the speaker in a way that brings all participants to the same-wave-length of

meaning. Supposedly, when said “I feel you”, the speaker implies that he sensed, perceived,

realized and acted in the form of total agreement, or total understanding of the meaning behind

what was said, expressed and meant.

Altogether, we may say that sensation is not oppositional to perception, on the contrary,

they interrelate on a high pace which does not make it easier for a person to come to a rational

conclusion whether he or she experiences sensation which may lead to e definite emotion, or

realisation of something (already perceived information) may result in uncontrollable sensation.

Clearly, those processes are different, but they are not oppositional, but rather complimentary,

and mutually conditioned.

But still there is a certain linguistic difference, a border line which can be drawn between

the notions which fill the sensation-perception dichotomy in the framework of the research

subject. Starting with basics, before desire is sensuous, there is preceding sensory component to

it. But product specifics taken (which means that you cannot actually touch or taste the

commercial, and that it rather works on perceptional level), sensory component of product

19

perception is additional to the selected ones, but still of general importance for the analysis. In

short, the picture can be drawn as follows: sensory (of or relating to sensation or the physical

senses; transmitted or perceived by the senses.) - sensuous (relating to or affecting the senses

rather than the intellect/attractive or gratifying physically, especially sexually.) – sensual (of or

arousing gratification of the senses and physical, especially sexual, pleasure.) – sexual (relating

to the instincts, physiological processes, and activities connected with physical attraction or

intimate physical contact between individuals.)

Clearly there is a very thin line between those notions, as most of them are charged with

erotic nature, and by erotic nature I mean the sexual potential, the promise of it, the possibility,

the thought on the outskirts of the mind. And if the meanings are not of particular help, then I see

no other choice but to go deeper on linguistics and concentrate on the word components of them

– suffixes, as often they are the main contributor to the out coming meaning. Dealing with

adjectives we have the following list of suffixes9:

ory:of or relating to; characterized by; having the effect of: contributory,

promissory;

uous:a suffix forming adjectives that have the general sense “possessing,

full of” a given quality;

-al:of; related to; connected with;

a suffix with the general sense “of the kind of, pertaining to, having theform or char

acter of” that named by the stem.

In the first case of sens-ory, we can speak about something that contributes to the impact or

influence of senses of a human being, there is promise that most possibly the action/thing/event

will be characterized through the experience of involves senses. In the case of sens-uous, we can

see that upgrade from “sensory” in a degree of sense involvement, if the first case is the case of

contribution or promise, then the second one if the case of full engagement. Sens-uous means

fully sensed; everything that comes out of the experience is sense-related. In sens-ual case, we

deal with a relation to the senses, which might mean the perceived construct, the idea that grows

out of the sensory or sensuous experience; it is related to the senses, directly or indirectly. In the

case of sens-ual, a place for interpretation appears. If sens-ual is a kind of sense-involved

experience, then it possibly derives from it, but overall experience does not limit itself to sense-

involved experience, it is bigger than that. The same principle works for sex-ual, where the

meaning is related to sex, but does not necessarily implies it.

9 Linguistic investigation was almost fully done with the help of online source dictionary.reference.com

20

Departing from above given explanation, sensual and sexual once again denude a

particular gap which somehow becomes charged with erotic energy on the level of meaning. It is

obvious, that linguistics-wise, the former relates to senses, while the latter clearly relates to sex,

and sense and sex are definitely different notions. Sense means a faculty by which the body

perceives an external stimulus; one of the faculties of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch; a

feeling that something is the case, the second part of which adds the intellectual involvement in

the defining notion. Sex, on the other hand, implies (chiefly with reference to people) sexual

activity, including specifically sexual intercourse; either of the two main categories (male and

female) into which humans and many other living things are divided on the basis of their

reproductive functions; the second definition of which points to the direct physicality, with no

touch of intellectual engagement compared, for instance, with gender. But somehow, with the

help of –ual suffix, both become closer, if not related to one another. By now, I could explain it

as a mutual nature of relation, they both relate to either senses or sex, but do not fully imply

them, which leaves the space for filling them with another meaning, as an additions to the prior

relation; and I can suppose that this additional meaning somehow is charged with erotic energy.

If we take another linguistic path in the try to explain the situation, then I would suggest

looking at the nouns: sensuousness, sensuality and sexuality. Suffix –ness is a native English

suffix attached to adjectives and particles, forming abstract nouns denoting quality and state

(and often, by extension, something exemplifying a quality or state). That means that

sensuousness is the characteristic of sensuous experience, which is fully involves senses. It is

definitive state, a defined quality of experience. Suffix –ity is a suffix used to form abstract

nouns expressing state or condition. As with –ness, the latter suffix is able to form abstract

nouns, which complicates the situation by making it hypothetically imagined/not

real/subjective/relative, etc. Nevertheless, the fact that –ness expresses state or condition,

empowers me to suppose that the meaning behind the notions can be conditioned. And from now

on we have to bear in mind that this particular condition will be of importance for conclusions.

Altogether, linguistic section reveals inevitable erotic train following both the process of

viewing and the content of the audiovisual product. And as the eroticism of viewing was

theoretically covered, the content of the product was simply anticipated, or hypothetically

supposed. For that reason, I suggest having a proper look at it from a variety of perspectives.

21

3. CONDITIONED SENSORY RESPONSE

Surprisingly, I was not able to find any definition to the object of my research. The best

thing I can do is to come up with the definition of my own by combining two elements

comprising the object of my investigation. I have already defined ‘fragrance’ as “something (as a

perfume) compounded to give off a sweet or pleasant odor”, and an advertisement, in simple

words, is “a notice or announcement in a public medium promoting a product, service, or event”.

In fact the latter can go by many names in media: advertisement, advert, ad, commercial, TV

spot, TV ad, the short film, the film, video, official video, etc. But the fact that interests me is the

combination of both: fragrance and advertisement.

Fragrance advertising, along with numerous names, comes in various forms: posters, TV

ads, promotional events, articles, mentions, hashtags, online ads, pup-up ads, gif-sets, photosets,

shout-outs, you name it. What I am interested in is the second mentioned form – TV ad, yet,

there is no proof that it is an official name for the subject. But the idea is that I investigate the

audiovisual product of fragrance advertising campaign. If the fashion house, celebrity or

designer is “big enough” then there is always a fragrance commercial which is coming out on

TV or online.

The format differs in accordance to the format of the media it is transmitted by. TV ad, or

TV spot usually lasts 30-40 seconds10

, while online version can last longer than 3 minutes if

labeled as “the film”11

. In the second case it is usually preceded by teasers and followed by

“behind-the-scenes” shortage. Most of the action takes place online, either mediated by related to

the topic online media or on the producers’ platforms (official sites, YouTube channels, etc.) The

fragrance commercial always comes as a part of a bigger advertising campaign and never

precedes the fragrance itself. The scent comes first; other products (ads, posters, events) follow.

Altogether, what I am dealing with is an audiovisual product that falls into an advertising

format, lasts from 30 seconds to 2 minutes long, and represents the scent of the fragrance. This

definition of mine is very vague, because there are ads that last under 20 seconds12

, as well as

there are short film (that are also fragrance advertisements) that last up to 10 minutes13

. But in

any way, we understand what the target is: it is audiovisual and it represents the prior product –

10

“Coco Mademoiselle” by Chanel [cited on 6 January 2015; 15:31]. Available from the Internet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9ApL0ugj7Y 11

“Coco Mademoiselle” by Chanel [cited on 6 January 2015; 15:34]. Available from the Internet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRV-2_Un-kk 12

Sean O’pry; Ultrasense by Jil Sander [cited on 6 January 2015; 15:34]. Available from the Internet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHlHeXlzv0c 13

“Fame” by Lady Gaga, the film by Steven Klein [cited on 6 January 2015; 15:37]. Available from the Internet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRaC0C27TZs

22

the scent of the fragrance. Consequently, I find it important to look at the prior essence of the

research subject – the fragrance itself.

3.1. Agent Provocateur

A fragrance is a pleasant, sweet smell, in modern culture most often understood as a

perfume or aftershave. It is closely associated with such synonyms as scent, eau de toilette, toilet

water, perfume, etc. Basically, fragrance, or to be more specific perfume is a mixture of

fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds, fixatives and solvents intended for giving a human

body, food, object, spaces, animals a particular scent, most often of a pleasant character. In my

work I concentrate on the first variant of its usage – a human body.

I concentrate my attention on the secondary product of perfumery – the fragrance

commercial, TV ad, or the designers’ short film. And rather than conducting an investigation of

scent culture in our everyday life, I concentrate on the audio-visual product of this industry. My

intentions are formed by the actual state of academic research in this sphere: the books and

articles covering the history of perfumery are numerous. Most of them have been already

translated into different languages and have been displayed to an open access on online platform.

Not that I am saying that there is nothing to research anymore, but rather that my interest takes

off from the previous investigations and takes the research into a new direction, the one that

lacks a thorough academic touch.

Yet, I see it crucial to briefly mention the basics of perfumery as industry so that we see

what we are dealing with. Any product of the industry, be it the fragrance, the bottle design, the

face of the fragrance, the TV ad, and even the choice of music used in it: everything is directly

linked to the core element of the whole thing – the scent.

The scent is a cultural phenomenon with a great deal of its own history which dates back to

the beginning of time. But I would address the contemporary times, the ones that we live in

today. In western culture of the XXth century the ideal society is represented as smell-less.

Hollywood does not possess any smell as it exists in sensuous space of sight and hearing

(Вайнштейн, 2010, p. 407).

Yet Diderot considered smell to be the most voluptuous of all senses. And so it is, and so

the perfume industry knows about it and declares far and beyond that even though the smell of

the human body is rejected, the smell of perfume is not simply good, but it is required for a

modern man. The industry is so powerful that is has penetrated the core of the culture of the XXI

century. It turns out that we have been alienated from our noses so much, that culture takes this

place and dictates which smell is good and which is not. It is proved by multiple researches of

23

scents in our life, and Katherine Zhiritskaya concludes that “the evaluation of the odor is a fruit

of a particular culture”. In a way, culture “forms” the nose (Вайнштейн, 2010, p. 169).

Taken the fact of contemporary obligation to smell good, we have to take perfume industry

for granted. It is not a choice anymore whether you want to smell good or bad, it is an obligation

to choose how good you want to smell, and how distinctively good this smell of yours should be.

So a modern person has nothing else to do but to set out on a course towards finding his or

her scent. And just as planned, the media culture is at the ready to provide a modern searcher

with something he is looking for. The thing is that it is, once again, industry. It does not matter

whether it is the production of perfume liquid, designing the bottle or the whole campaign, it is

industry of production. And like any other industry is has to take into consideration the process

from wide-scale perspective, i.e. even before the idea is born, the creator has to bear in mind the

potential outcome of this creation. This involves such criteria as demand-offer, message-

audience, etc.

In short, the fragrance becomes a product and a product implies the potential consumer,

hence the producer has to make a product in such a manner, so that it could find its consumer, or

the producer should prepare the ground for the product to be consumed. In the latter case, I mean

that culture into which the product is launched may have already formed the ideal consumer of

the up-coming product. Whatever way it turns out, in the end we can speak about the set of rules

for the creator of the fragrance, as well as the anticipated structure of consumerism motivation.

The latter is vague, yet, can be described in terms of psychology in the framework of marketing.

I suggest putting an example of both components: the production of the scent and the

driving force of a consumer to get this particular result of the perfume production.

I would part from a perfumer with experience in both the industry and academics –

Stephan Jelling. According to the author, when producing the scent the number of natural and

chemical components varies from 40 to over a hundred, but rarely undergoes the number of 40.

That is why the results, or so to say, the variety of scents possible is infinite.

3.2. Rules of Provocation

The industry itself experiences a sort of complication when trying to classify the spectrum

of scents. So fat there have been numerous approaches based on the domineering notes and odor

effects. The letter firstly suggested by Paul Jellinek in 1951 was further simplified by Calkin and

Josef Stephen Jellinek in 1994 (Jellinek, 1994). In 1995 Stephen Jellinek wrote an article where

24

he propped an extremely simple model of fragrance classification which can be presented in

three circles (Jellinek S. , 1995):

1. Classic: any person can recognise as a fragrance, it’s a prototype, long-

lasting in popularity and demand.

2. Avant-garde: opposite to classic, when the public doubts its fragrance

status, because they are too fruity, or raw, or chemical, or simply extraordinary.

3. Non-classic: avant-garde fragrances that have been around long enough to

enter classic of perfumery, yet not smelling right for the classic fragrance.

Along with the classification goes the set of rules of how the smell should sound:

1. The smell of fragrances must not resemble any other smell;

2. Complicated odor;

3. Unnatural flavor;

4. Bodily jet (erotic provocative);

5. Harmony, beauty, equilibrium.

Where the first and the fifth points tend to fall as the most important ones when evaluation

the final variant of the scent. In the end, the smell should smell good.

And taken from here, definition of good may vary from person to person, as the saying

goes “tastes differ”. But somehow the product is being consumed, somehow those numerous

taste get settled for it, and I am taking the responsibility that it is the matter of the whole

production which involves the smell of the fragrance and the campaign inevitably attached to it.

non-classic fragrances

avant-garde fragrances

clasic fragrances

25

In all, this may include the fragrance, the vial design, the slogan (message), the media campaign

(posters, photos, articles, the fact of the fragrance), the ad (with the director, style, music) and

audience’s expectation/response. Even in the countable number of mentioned components the

composing elements come in uncountable numbers. Subjectively, I consider it impossible to

come up with the product that would perfectly meet a person’s expectations, it is impossible,

even if to consider such basics as the bottling measurements of perfumes which are limited to

certain numbers.

My research omits almost all of the elements except for one – the ad. Not to mention the

fact that even if the ad is extremely captivating and appealing to the potential consumer, the

actual smell can still be decisive, because that is the material basis a person finds himself with in

the very end. That is why I acknowledge the linkage of all the components, but concentrate on

the audiovisual element of the perfumery. Thereto, it is interesting how such components as the

scent and the bottle are incorporated in the targeted element of the whole industry.

And taken as a fact that West European model of the world is audiovisual, I see it more

than appropriate to investigate the scent culture through the audio-visual prism of secondary

product of the chosen industry – fragrance commercial.

Before we go any further, I would like to emphasize the probability of an approach that

might become instrumental in the further analysis. Before we can concentrate on the audio-visual

product, we should address the initial issue of the reason behind its necessity for the consumer.

3.3. Significant Nature of Redolent Product

The idea of the fragrance audiovisual accompaniment is to visualize the scent of the

fragrance, on the one hand, and to advertise it, to bring the information about the product through

media, on the other hand. But the most important thing is that both scent and audio-visual ad

have the same nature: they are both signs (and signifiers, to be exact). Rousseau claimed smells

to be linked to imagination and desire, saying that “they are a sign of not simply presence of a

person, but rather the promise, recall or expectation of him”. And Raisa Kirsanova confirms

through historic perspective that the scent overgrows its Estate signification and becomes an

individual code denoting a particular man (Кирсанова, 2010, стр. 278). According to Jellinek,

among all the smells fragrances take the same place music does among noises – the signifier for

a memory, event, person, dream, etc. (Еллинек, 2010, стр. 362). The though is futherly

confirmed in another research: the odor is double-natured (Вайнштейн, 2010, стр. 267). It is an

attribute for a dream, and hence, future; as well as for memory, i.e. past.

26

Odor is always a form, it is always a signifier. But this is a form of a special property, it

dissolves, absorbs the content. Odor is a metaphor for possessing of the material world. But it is

hardly possession, but rather anticipation, the promise of it (Вайнштейн, 2010, стр. 178).

Memory and dream are two kingdoms where the odor guides the thoughts of a human.

The scent itself does not have any erotic connotation, but perfume, or fragrance, being a

signifier, surely contains space for it, at least for two reasons:

1. Demanding to be erotic provocative;

2. And being linked to desire and imagination, hence, the nature of the prior

product of the subject of my research turns to be another charger of image repertoire with

erotic energy.

But the perfume is not the subject of my research. It is important to be taken into

consideration, as the audiovisual product is a signifier of this odorous signified, hence potentially

contributing to the whole experience of image-repertoire. But the latter implies imagery at its

finest, that is why I pass on to the audiovisual content searching for eroticism in there.

27

4. NARCISSISTIC ZONE OF THE PSYCHE

When we speak about advertising, we enter a specific discourse where the rules of

marketing take over the actions (Tomlinson, 1990, p. 9). Advertising is mass media content

intended to persuade audiences of readers, viewers or listeners to take action on products,

services and ideas. The idea is to drive consumer behavior in a particular way in regard to a

product, service or concept14

.

I believe, there is plenty of literature in the sphere of marketing and advertising that will

try to convince the reader in a particular strategy that is used by advertising company to make a

potential consumer become the actual one. But I am not interested in those strategies; I am

interested in the nature of how the message works, rather than the methods of conviction. That is

why I suggest having a look at 6 basic functions of language suggested by Roman Jakobson’s six

functions of language which have the potential for a smooth implementation into commercial

discourse (Jakobson, 1960). They are:

1. Emotive (expressive , emphasis on addresser). This function is beloved by

fashion houses and chic products. The driving force of desire taken for granted any

fragrance commercial if guided by the anticipated emotion of its potential consumer;

2. Conative (appellative, emphasis on addressee) is seen as a not-to-mention function

of the whole commercial discourse, but in the light of modernity today the ordering message of

“go and buy now” kind is rarely seen on the screen;

3. Metalingual (linguistic, focus on code) has become extremely popular in a course

of the last decade of marketing so as to say postmodern commercials which tend to respect

viewer’s understanding of marketing model;

4. Poetic function is extremely significant for my analysis as it means that

contemporary ad becomes a piece of art of its own. That explains designer’s intentions to hire

professional actors for their ads, to hire real directors for their short films and acclaimed

designers for the whole company mapping;

5. Referential (denotative, focus on context). This kind of message concentrates on

the distinctive features of commercialized product or service. This function if prior for

informative kind of ads;

14

What is Advertising? [cited on 19 February 2015; 19:12]. Available from the Internet:

http://www2.uncp.edu/home/acurtis/Courses/ResourcesForCourses/Advertising/AdvertisingWhatIsIt.html

28

6. Phatic (emphasis on contact, clearing channel for communication). This function

becomes more and more important for these days as an average consumer is suffering from

cognitive blindness. As a result the messages become more creative, unpredictable, unique.

The focus within the verbal message on one of the six factors, creates a message

corresponding to a certain function. All other functions are always there as well but are

subordinate to the dominant one. When the focus is on the message itself the function of the

message, according to Jacobson, is poetic. And that is exactly the case of a fragrance

commercial, it is head-to-toes poetic.

But a frosting of this function comes with Eco’s explanation of it. He names it “aesthetic

function” and defines it as a result of interaction between information and redundancy (Эко,

2006). Details left aside, he suggests that the product of this function is of incentive nature, but it

can never be active (Эко, Побудительное сообщение, 2006). Ill-spoken, but I believe such a

state may bring the answer to Barthes misery of adorable expression15

.

Speaking of adoration, there is a possibility to pay more attention to it, than it is supposed

to because, judging by Barthes’ explanation, there is a certain degree of possibility of eroticism

to happen during image-repertoire due to adorable nature of the imagery. Barthes shows us how,

in love relations, the image-repertoire we all possess, which roughly defines our desires,

circulates around actual bodies so that something in the other stirs our amorous feelings. That

something may be vague and amorphous, just as the image-repertoire may not be a clearly

defined set of images available to consciousness.

The fact that we should draw from this statement is that image-repertoire is not only

connected to desire, but in fact defines it; and it takes place within our bodily manifestation,

consciously or subconsciously, we come up with reactions to what we see as a consequence to

the feelings we experience though our body, be it sensation or perception. And the fact that

Barthes points at amorous nature of this experience, combined with the fact of its relation to

desires, gives another confirmation of erotic energy conveyed in the process itself, be it the gap

between feeling and emotion which is filled with desire, which basically means eroticism, or the

nature of image-repertoire which is described as adorable due to its erotic characteristic.

15

On image-repertoire: Barthes perfectly frames the concept into the notion of adoration. As he says, he looks at the

image, and without the particular knowledge why, something about the other say that every comprising part of him

is adorable. And adorable means: this is my desire, insofar as it is unique. “That’s it! That is exactly (which I love!)

Yet the more I experience the specialty of my desire, the less I can give a name… of this failure of language, there

remains only one trace: the word ‘adorable’ (Barthes, A Lover's Discourse. Fragments, 1978, p. 20).

29

But the thing is that the research question “how” still remains relevantly urgent. And even

though, I truly believe that we (the image and the viewer) are simply not meant to be. We are too

different to ever be on the same length. Human nature is active: life proves the fact of our only

progressive possible existence. The image-repertoire (which also includes the fragrance

commercial) is static, nay enclosed, self-contained. Apart from endless number of possible

connotations, the physical state of image-repertoire is utter, it has the universe of its own

concluded/imprisoned within itself. Yet it is able to move the viewer, it is somehow makes a

potential consumer get up and go buy the advertised product, or at least think about doing it.

With time we see that those things – commercials – are forming our habits, actions and even the

way we perceive and think about the world (Danesi, 2002).

4.1. Adorable Imagery

As much as I could adopt the term of adoration suggested by Barthes for the content

analysis of a fragrance commercial, I believe that the method of aberrant coding suggested by

Umberto eco will work much better on the bigger number of the selection I have analyzed. The

latter was chosen randomly through the YouTube search filed as well as through two playlists in

open access found on the same online platform.

Altogether I have seen more than 300 ads labeled as fragrance commercials, some of them

were contemporary, and some other dated back more than 30 years; that is why I have stopped

on the contemporary examples released later than 2005. Such a decision was taken by me

following the unofficial belief circulating online, that 90s went on till 200416

, especially as far as

the television is concerned. I have stopped on the number 100 to make the percentage count

easier. By the selection I covered both fashion houses and celebrity released fragrance

commercials, independent from female or male target audience, in the end having the

representation of 27 male and 73 female scents.

4.1.1. Aberrant decoding consists of three main codes: iconic, linguistic and sound, each

of which convey a set of subcodes (Eco, 1972). Having conducted a sketchy semiotic analysis of

the selection, I can indicate the content results up in the following summary.

Iconic code:

1. Iconologic subcode (tradition of representation): body, bottle, relationship

between the two in the form of spraying or smelling the perfume;

2. Aesthetic subcode (what is beautiful?): models, celebrities;

3. Erotic subcode (what is desired): close-up and fragmentation; 16

[cited on 24 March 2015; 19:17]. Available from the Internet:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/37928821836552787/

30

4. Montage subcode: Associative editing, cut-in/cut-out;

Linguistic code:

1. Specialized jargon (special words or expressions that are used by a

particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand): the choice of the

French language might be considered as such;

2. Stylish syntagms: female and male voices pronouncing the name of the

fragrance and the fashion house/ designer/ brand;

Sound code:

1. Emotional subcode (type/mood of music): was not investigated in the

research due to the ambiguity and complexity of complimenting sound;

2. Syntagms with obtained value typology (style of music/genre – emotional

and ideological connotations): was not investigated for the same above mentioned reason;

3. Syntagms with conventional value: music with no lyrics, compositions.

Along with the content analysis, I have kept the numeral track, which is presented in the

table below.

Code Subcode Manifestation %

Iconic Iconologic

Presence of perfume vial 98

Accent on body 48

Applying/smelling the perfume 31

Aesthetic Models 54

Celebrities 46

Erotic Close-up 91

Slow-motion 89

Montage Associative 45

Linguistic Continuity 53

Jargon French 16

Stylish syntagms Male voice 35

Female voice 48

Sound Emotional - -

Syntagms with obtained

value typology

Popular songs with recognizable lyrics 56

Syntagms with conventional

value

Music track 44

To make the content analysis profound and thorough, I have proceeded with the selection

by narrowing it to 4 videos containing the above stated characteristic and being signifiers for a

particular type of desire described in “desire” section in the previous chapter. In the results, in

31

representation of the sensuous, sensual, sexual and social desires, such fragrance commercials as

“Acqua di Gioia” by Giorgio Armani, “Heat” by Beyonce, “Parisienne” by Yves Saint Laurent

and “Valentina” by Valentino were chosen accordingly.

All four commercials included the following characteristics: presence of the vial, accent on

the body, models or celebrities, close-up and slow-motion cinematographic methods and mainly

associative editing. I will stop for explanation for each characteristic in search for erotic energy.

Presence of the vial

Can be considered as a “minimal sign” (Schlichtmann) in the marketing discourse,

subconsciously creating linking patterns between the face of the fragrance and the actual

perfume, or a signified dream by the model/celebrity signifier in a glass bottle available for each

and everyone in the closest store. Or from other perspective, the presence of vial may serve as

“psychocultural” cue to the viewers’ construction of the meaning about the product and the face

representing it (Russel C.A, 2006).

Models and celebrities

Those are formed to provide identification and empathy. They represent the conventional

norms and traditional values and are “super-ego” identification figures, the sort of superior

moral, rational and admirable characters whom people would like to be (Kellner, 1980).

Accent on the body

As much as has already been written about body image on the screen, I will refer to

Barthes in the attempt to explain the accentuation of the body:

“Yet something about another human body appeals to us, arouses us and seems to bring

into clear focus the object of desire. The body of the other, therefore, is idealized through the

image-repertoire. Driven by the image-repertoire, which finds expression in other bodies yet

itself remains unattainable as a complete abstract picture, we find ourselves at the limit of

language because the image-repertoire can never become a concept of tangible image open to

linguistic articulation (Barthes, A Lover's Discourse. Fragments, 1978).

Close-up

First of all, the auditory and visual character of the cinematic medium has the potential to

simulate some of the intense sensory input we correlate with personal space intrusions or objects

being too close.

32

Generally, by moving closer to someone we signal our wish to establish closer contact and

by moving away we indicate a desire to limit accessibility and intimacy. Actively using and

manipulating interpersonal distance is an important behavior pattern to achieve preferred degrees

of closeness. The anthropologist Edward Hall was the first to postulate different distance zones

depending on the situation and relation between the interlocutors. Aiello's description is clear

and short:

Intimate distance ranges from 0 to 18 inches and is characterised by strong and intense

sensory inputs. The voice is normally held at a very low level or even at a whisper. Sight is a

bit distorted, heat and smell from another is inescapable and involvement is unmistakable;

Personal distance ranges from 1.5 to 4 feet and another is within "arm's length." The voice

level is moderate, vision is no longer distorted, and body heat and olfaction are either no

longer or minimally perceptible. This distance is more likely to be used by friends and

acquaintances;

Social distance extends from 4 to 12 feet. Nobody touches or expects to touch another

person. Voice level is louder and transactions are more formal and businesslike;

Public distance extends beyond 12 feet. This distance is more characteristic of speakers and

their audience or interactions with public figures. The voice and everything else must be

exaggerated or amplified (Aiello, 1987) .

Each of these zones provides a different level of sensory information with the intimate

distance involving almost all senses. Although these measured distances are not to be taken in a

rigid fashion since these spheres operates differently depending on culture, sex and personality, it

is still fair to say that these zones are respected by most people. Transgressing from one zone to

another (in or out) signals a shifting of expectations on the situation and the relationship between

interactants (Towards a Psychological Theory of Close-ups).

The close-up modifies the drama by the impact of proximity. If I stretch out my arm I

touch you, and that is intimacy. I can count the eyelashes of this suffering. I would be able to

taste the tears. Never before has a face turned to mine in that way (Epstein, 1988).

Notice here the emphasis on the potential for touching (If I stretch out my arm....) and on

sensory input exclusively displayed within the intimate distance zone (count the eyelashes...taste

the tears...). It is also interesting to see that Epstein uses you about the individual depicted, as if

he describes a personal encounter.

33

But if the cinematic medium is able to supply the kind of sensory inputs that are associated

with the protective function of the intimate zone, this of course also apply to

the communicative function. Discerning facial details and low level voice and sounds (e.g.

clothes rustling) are the kind of impressions we expect from being in the real intimate distance

zone of another person.

The sound close-up has the capacity to present precisely this kind of sensory input. It is

thus the collaboration between certain properties of the carefully designed cinematic text and real

world proxemic competence on part of the viewer that makes the effect of threat possible and

seemingly natural. This is a functional description of close-ups.

Slow motion

In sports, as in other filmed “masculine narratives”, the temporal pace is routinely slowed

during moments of intense action (Guttmann, 1998).

Slow motion is used...to celebrate and display the male body in action, to produce a

sense of awe by making the physical performance appear beautiful. The male body in

televised sport does not consist merely of brutish muscularity, but is aestheticized.

Fiske is wrong to limit the effects to the male body, but he is right about slow motion. In

televised sports coverage as in action drama, slow motion functions “to eroticize power, to

extend the moment of climax” (Fiske, 1989, p. 219). Like slow motion, television's close-ups

intensify “the erotic theatricalization of the athletic body” (Gert Hortleder, 1986, p. 12).

Associative editing

The juxtaposition of two contrasting images which can be interpreted as having an

analogous thematic meaning: for example, a shot of a passionate kiss followed by a shot of

fireworks exploding signifies explosive passion (Editing). In the case of fragrance commercials it

is another way to create the conditioned sensory response through the constructed imagery.

4.1.2. Semiotics of the absent signified

Apart from common peculiarities, each video contained the features with potential erotic

connotation that is why I suggest briefly looking at them too (see ANNEX 1 Table 2 Signifiers

of the selection).

Sensuousness and desire, sensuous desire Aqua di Gioia

34

Seductive sea aromas in the new fragrance are put into first plan and used as creators'

inspiration. Composition of the perfume is compared with woman who is “strong, dignified and

free spirit but in perfect harmony with nature”. Inspired by several summer holidays spent on the

islands of Pantelleria and Antigua, where Armani has his villas, the fragrance was led by the idea

of escape into nature, a heavenly place of real holiday where we restore the energy necessary to

body and soul, and where we create natural balance17

.

The symbolism of water has a universal undertone of purity and fertility. Symbolically, it

is often viewed as the source of life itself as we see evidence in countless creation myths in

which life emerges from primordial waters. Interestingly, we are all made of water, and so we

can liken many of these myths and allegories to our own existence (the macrocosm mirroring the

microcosm and vice versa). Further, we can incorporate symbolism of circulation, life, cohesion

and birth by associating the creative waters of the earth with the fluids found in our own body

(i.e., blood). In Taoist tradition, water is considered an aspect of wisdom. The concept here is

that water takes on the form in which it is held and moves in the path of least resistance. Here the

symbolic meaning of water speaks of a higher wisdom we may all aspire to mimic. The ever-

observant ancient Greeks understood the power of transition water holds. From liquid, to solid,

to vapor - water is the epitomal symbol for metamorphosis and philosophical recycling. Rain is

nourishment for the earth and is known as the water of life. Rain drops can symbolize heaven's

tears18

.

Symbolically, mist is similar to the Veil. However, where the veil is a solid fabric that

hides and protects what is behind it. Mist is a slow drizzle that blurs, and distorts, our vision and

perception; it prevents us from "seeing" clearly. Mist is that discomforting confusion that we

must wade through just prior to experiencing clarity. It is the feeling that what we are looking for

is not yet ready for us to understand. Mist also symbolizes a state of transition just prior to

"seeing things clearly" and resolving our current dilemma. It is like the Sphinx that blocks the

path of our journey until we can solve its one final riddle. Metaphorically, mist creates a blurred

vision of something real and true that is not meant to be completely understood by our rational

mind; or, at least not meant to be understood by us at that moment. However, mist is also a gift

from the spiritual realm. Mist is the gentle rain of fertility: the sacred substance that impregnates

our mind and spirit, enabling our thoughts and insights to grow and blossom. It is the warm,

enveloping caress of Divinity letting us know that what we are looking for is almost within our

17

Acqua di Gioia Giorgio Armani for women [cited on 27 March 2015; 23:09]. Available from the Internet:

http://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Giorgio-Armani/Acqua-di-Gioia-8442.html 18

Rain [cited on 27 March 2015; 23:07]. Available from the Internet:

http://www.scootermydaisyheads.com/fine_art/symbol_dictionary/rain.htm

35

sight. It is the feeling that soon we will be leaving the Valley of Mist behind us and ascending to

the higher ground of Sunlight and clarity.

The jungle has a primitive symbolic aspect because of our first ancestors were hunters and

gatherers who originally came from the jungles and forests. Unlike the deserts which have very

little life and the prairies which have some life, the jungle has more life per square inch than any

other place on earth.

Forests have traditionally had a strong association with the unconsciousness and serve as

places for many fairy tale stories and romance legends of the world. Although forest symbolism

is complex, J.E. Cirlot notes that it is connected “at all levels with the symbolism of the female

principle or of the Great Mother”. He says that the forest is the place where vegetable life thrives

and luxuriates, free from any control or cultivation. And since its foilage obscures the light of the

sun, it is therefore regarded as opposed to the sun's power and as a symbol of the earth... Since

the female principle is identified with the unconsciousness in Man, it follows that the forest is

also a symbol of the unconsciousness. It is for this reason that Jung maintains that the sylvan

terrors that figure so prominently in children's tales symbolize the perilous aspects of the

unconsciousness, that is, its tendency to devour or obscure reason. Significantly, forests were

among the first places in nature to be dedicated to the cult of the gods and places where offerings

were suspended from trees. The forest is the realm of the psyche and a place of testing and

initiation, of unknown perils and darkness19

.

Blue color pen spaces, freedom, imagination, expansiveness, inspiration, and sensitivity.20

Fragmented montage is the imitation of this process of the brain. Montage makes

continuous observation of space objects constantly be divided into fragments, which will

eliminate the unnecessary redundancy. Only the things that keep high efficiency, high amount of

information would stay as fragments. Lastly, these fragments are re-linked to be a high efficient

sequence to deliver what the filmmakers want to convey. Particularly, this aspect of psychology

can be used for creating rhythm. Hectic rhythm results in excitement. The contrasting shots (cut-

in and cut-away editing) of tracking camera on nature and long establishing shots, and static

camera on body parts and close-ups, creates the condition resembling physical condition of

inertia, when moving fast one experience complication to brake. Supposedly, the tracking shot

has inertia in itself, as the picture moves from side of the frame to the other, revealing new

19

Jungles, Forests [cited on 27 March 2015; 15:04]. Available from the Internet:

http://www.symbolism.org/writing/books/sp/2/page4.html 20

Color Meaning and Symbolism [cited on 27 March 2015; 15:07]. Available from the Internet: http://www.whats-

your-sign.com/color-meaning.html

36

content on the screen. Consequently, the viewer perceives the movement within the frame of the

screen, even though the screen remains static. And the tracking shot is followed by static

medium shot or a static close-up which basically creates the situation of inertial conflict, the

viewer is made to stop, in a way, by hitting a tempo wall.

Sensuality and desire, sensual desire Heat

The fragrance's commercial, directed by director Jake Nava and released in December

2009, spawned controversy for its sexually explicit imagery, and was only allowed nighttime

broadcast in the United Kingdom. According to Beyoncé's official perfume website, Heat is a

“captivating fragrance that unleashes a spirited fire within." It was also described as “a unique

expression of a woman's powerful sensuality: sexy, elegant yet feminine with an air of mystery”,

summing up that the fragrance reflects “a self-assured woman, who is not afraid to desire and to

be desired”. Beyoncé’s official perfume website also described Heat as an “alluring [and]

modern fragrance... [which] embodies a compelling spirit”. Laird stated that the main theme of

the commercial was that Beyoncé should appear “sexy and a little bit dangerous”, but in a

“sophisticated and elegant way21”.

Fire symbols and meanings allow you to hold the power and passion of the Gods, right in the

palm of your metaphorical hand. The meaning behind it includes such attributions as energy,

power, passion, action, sexuality, creativity, authority, consumption, the untamed.

Red rushes to us with messages of passion, primal urges, action, pleasure, vibrance,

radiance, and love.

Sexuality and desire, sexual desire Parisienne

This fragrance appeared on the market in 2009, romantically named Parisienne, which

implicates its Paris fragrance antecedents, as well as its edited bottle design. Besides the official

notes of Damascus rose, violet, peony, cranberry, patchouli, vetiver, musk and sandalwood, it

also contains urban and bold aromas of vinyl and lacquer, reminding us of the special scent of a

cosmetic bag, make – up and high-heels on the hot city asphalt. “For a hot woman, sensual,

mysterious and completely free22”. It is the perfume of ultra femininity, warmed by the imprint

of the man who brushed against her.

21

Beyoncé Heat [cited on 23 March 2015; 17:21]. Available from the Internet:

http://www.beyonceparfums.com/heat/media/videos 22

Yves Saint Laurent Parisienne [cited on 23 March 2015; 17:22]. Available from the Internet:

http://www.vogue.fr/communaute/wiki-de-la-mode/articles/yves-saint-laurent-parisienne/20637

37

From a color psychology perspective, gray is the color of compromise - being neither black

nor white, it is the transition between two non-colors. The closer gray gets to black, the more

dramatic and mysterious it becomes. The closer it gets to silver or white, the more illuminating

and lively it becomes. Being both motionless and emotionless, gray is solid and stable, creating a

sense of calm and composure, relief from a chaotic world. The color gray is subdued, quiet and

reserved. It does not stimulate, energize, rejuvenate or excite. Both violet and purple contain the

energy and strength of red with the spirituality and integrity of blue. This is the union of body

and soul creating a balance between our physical and our spiritual energies. The deeper the pink,

the more passion and energy it exhibits. Pink is feminine and romantic, affectionate and intimate,

thoughtful and caring. It tones down the physical passion of red replacing it with a gentle loving

energy23

.

Rhythm editing describes an assembling of shots and/or sequences according to a rhythmic

pattern of some kind, usually dictated by music. It can be narrative, or, a music video type

collage. In either case, dialogue is suppressed and the musical relationship between shots takes

center stage.

Sociality and desire, social desire Valentina

The composition is designed as a fresh floral - fruity - oriental, full of contradictions,

simultaneously delicate and strong, elegant, sensual, rebellious and fun24

.

The results of the semiotic content analysis of the selected videos can be summed up in the

following table:

Signified Signifier

Content Form

Desire Longing25

Slow motion, close-up

Sensuousness Nature + body Blue tone

Sensuality Accent on body experience Violet-gray-tone, Associative editing

Sexuality Sexual intercourse Red tone

Sociality People/social events, storyline

(either on screen or narration)

Real-like tone

23

The Color Pink [cited on 23 March 2015; 17:32]. Available from the Internet: http://www.empower-yourself-

with-color-psychology.com/color-pink.html 24

Valentina Valentino for women [cited on 23 March 2015; 17:09]. Available from the Internet:

http://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Valentino/Valentina-12770.html 25

In the form of parting lips, look in the camera combined with slow motion, touching body combined with slow

motion blinking, back throw back combined with slow motion, etc.

38

The commercial satisfies the longing within the temporal framework of the clip by

introducing the smile, the satisfaction of the main character followed by the close-up shot of the

vial.

4.1.3. Arousing Sound

Those results remain open for interpretation (see ANNEX 2 Table 3 Linguistic and Audio

Codes of the Selection), as sound was not my main target for investigation, yet it still remains

promising as a contributor to the main cause of the research, which I plan to continue, taking into

account the promising research data already proving the positive outcome of a potential research

continuation. For instance, from marketing perspective, James Karrh et al, have stated that audio

compliment to the imagery in advertising discourse becomes decisive in viewers’ attitude

towards a product to a much greater degree than the image without sound accompaniment (Karrh

J., 2003 ).

From philosophic, or semiotic perspective, Roland Barthes clearly states the fact of erotic

nature of music be it the one (the music one listens to) or the other (the music one plays). In

contemporary research sphere, in Nikki S. Rickard’s research emotionally powerful music was

subjectively rated as having significantly greater emotional impact than the emotionally powerful

scene in a film (Rickard, 2004). Another of her findings denuded the non-significant trends

indicating that the emotionally powerful music and film produced higher levels of arousal than

the relaxing or arousing music. The latter is particularly interesting and important in semiotic

analysis of the tracks used if the selected fragrance commercials.

If we adjust to Rickard’s findings, then the choice of Cinematic Orchestra’s track for the

Acqua di Gioia Commercials explains its sensuous nature to the probable extant of the creator’s

intention to cause sensuous arousal, rather than the one charged with emotional, and hence

potentially sexually connoted response.

The certain degree of significant role of lyrics should be acknowledged in the case of

“Heat” which is accompanied by the slogan “Catch the Fever”, which conveniently matches the

name of the musical composition by Beyoncé – “Fever”. The choice of 1993 hit “I feel you” by

Depeche Mode in the case of Parisienne may be seen as another signifier of the classy scent, and

even without the lyrics, there is a degree of possibility for the track to be recognised and seen as

contemporary rock classics, as the spirit of the whole campaign itself. In the socially desirable

perfume by Valentino, the lyrics of “Via Con Me” going “It’s wonderful, It’s wonderful, It’s

wonderful, I dream of you…” puts the mood of the commercial into the fragrance perspective of

39

a promise, dream, and the 20’s tone of it contributes to the socially acclaimed atmosphere,

almost demanding the people to surround the one who goes for this particular perfume.

As for the linguistic code, then it is not a novelty that French is considered to be the

language of love, and even if the commercial message goes in English, it is still pronounced with

a French accent to it, especially when it comes to the names of fragrances and fashion houses.

And it does not matter if the message is narrated by a male of female voice, which supposedly

may anticipate the target audience, meaning female voice for female clients. But the rare

combination of the opposites, meaning male narration accompanying the female fragrance may

be intentionally used to create another symbolic bridge of the promise of the other, and in this

case, the other of the opposite sex, as if even without showing any clearly sexual signifiers, there

are plenty of them, hidden in the range of culturally conditioned connotations. It is another

contributor to exposed confusion in semiotic analysis of visual content of chosen commercials.

All in all, the sound codes are interesting for a separate investigation. I have tried to

arrange an empirical analysis of arousal in the spectrum of 5 senses, but was not able to interpret

the whole amount of gathered information. It seems enough for a separate applied research, so I

am planning on doing that in future26

. For now, having gathered almost 200 responses, it is clear

that music that music takes the second place in arousing discourse after the purely haptic

experience, while video with sound and image fall greatly behind.

Form 1 as checked on 27 April 2015; 00:00, gathering 175 responses

That is a fact to consider when taking for granted the popular belief that it is 7 times more

worth to see something than to hear it (in a musical composition) to be affected by it, or moved,

or touched. And as arousal is on the left-hand-side of the earlier introduced desire triangle,

meaning relating to sensation rather than perception, I assume the possibility of music to be

another source of erotic energy in the experience of image-repertoire.

26

On Arousal (Responses) [cited on 19 February 2015; 13:11]. Available from the Internet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aBh1Vov-PnsdzuK2UuVLn4SWOQ3WLWZgI1PBTExxHLk/edit?usp=sharing

40

5. APPLYING INAPPLICABLE

The content analysis done and settled, I put myself in front of the necessity to question it.

For such purposes of mine, I organised a three stages investigation in the form of questionnaire

based on the same list of 4 videos used in the previous section, along with the interview I took

from 11-year-old girl based on the same selection. So that to prove or disapprove the results of

the first and the second stages combined, I went further with taking a short interviews from

already involved respondents, but this time I suggested another video for viewing – “Very

Irresistible” by Givenchy. My choice was shaped by a particular way media were describing the

commercial, which perfectly suited the thesis I was able to put forward after first two stages of

applied part of the research.

For the first part of the investigation I came up with a questionnaire and asked 17 people

from the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Macedonia, Estonia, Romania, Norway, Latvia, Greece,

Serbia, Ireland, Sweden, Austria and Belarus to fill it in with their answers. I was able to cover

the age demographic from 18 to 27 years old, and gender demographic in the representation of 4

male and 13 female viewers. For the analysis I used the method of axial coding, which makes it

possible to select the principle notions, as well as see other less relevant, but still interesting

words used by testees in response to viewing the commercials. I have organised the results in the

table below, with the percentage of responses supporting the theoretical identification of the

commercial, and numbers of repetition following particular words in the third column (ANNEX

3 Table 4 Axial Coding: Results).

The selective summarizing coding can be presented in the following range of words:

words that were used in describing every type of fragrance commercial include:

adventure, society, feel, sexy;

words that were used to describe three commercial (without societal one): enjoy,

touching, body, music;

words that were used to describe two different commercials include: color, escape,

pleasure, arousal, attractive.

Such a summary proves the fact of an audiovisual commercial being a signifier for the

signified scent of the perfume, as it is obvious, that the major words used in the attempt to

describe it coincide with the main functions of the scent – the socially constructed necessity, the

promise if something bigger than reality, the sensational basis and the erotic provocative.

41

The second and the third sections, which are more the result of the axial coding rather than

selective one, proves the fact of social/cultural recognition of the main driving forces of a

fragrance commercial which are conditioned desires in their sensuous, sensual, sexual and social

forms of manifestations. The second column also contains the mention of music, which one

again proves the research potential of the matter in the future.

Excluding the decisively recognised societally driven ad by Valentino, I may conclude,

that the anticipated confusion in the linguistic section in the spectrum of sensuousness-

sensuality-sexuality has proven itself on practice with the repeated words describing all of the

videos. Yet, in 94 % cases, the sensuous desire was easily identified, while the distinction

between sensual and sexual one has proven itself to be a difficult one to crack. This in fact

proves the results of semiotic analysis counducted on the selection earlier, and opens a

perspective for in-depth interviews and further investigation of the origins of sexuality and

sensuality in the framework of image-repertoire. That is exactly what I intend to do in the future,

but for now, even the range of words lessened to the key ones from questionnaires transcripts

sheds the light onto the possible sources of erotic energy of image repertoire.

This applied attempt was also useful to see professionally identified features of a fragrance

commercial being revealed and articulated by a potential consumer with no background

knowledge. With a slight direction stated in the questionnaire, the respondents came up with

complete answer revealing the traits of any fragrance commercials. From 17 people asked, only

1 of them has a previous experience of semiotics. Another respondent was very critical when

answering questions, stating such in-depth characteristics as slow-motion as a pointer to

sensuality, which proves the theory on practice to a degree of being available and

comprehensible by an ordinary viewer with a potentially critical intention towards the visual

material he or she is exposed to.

With an intention to find the answer to the research question, as well fully understanding

the narrowness of the viewers’ representation in the results of my research, I have taken an

interview from an 11-year girl from Belarus, asking her the same question from the questionnaire

buy in a more interactive way. I asked her to watch all four videos and then react to each one of

them in finding three or more words that could best describe the video. In the result, each video

was described in the following range of words:

“Aqua di Gioia” by Giorgio Armani Marine, lonely, beautiful, free

“Heat” Stupid, weird, ew, daring, best smelling

“Parisienne” YSL: Kate Moss Roily, lonely, sleepy, weird,

“Valentina” by Valentino Crowded, fascinating, about fragrance, music, free

42

Taking into account the previous research, those results are interesting in a way that they

reveal another truth – the cultural/societal aspect in the process of viewing the commercial. The

coincidences in the word usage refer to such aspects as nature, freedom, music and the fact the

video is actually related to a smell or a perfume. The question that I am raising in this

investigation seems to be inapplicable to the interview results as there was no mentioning of

body, touching, sensuality or sexuality, except for the fact the girl acknowledged the presence of

scent referent. On the contrary, those videos which have been proven to be extremely charged

with erotic energy, namely “Heat” and “Parisienne”, evoked a negative reaction in the form of

such negative epithets as “stupid” and “ew” addressing “Heat”, and “weird” characterizing

“Parisienne”. Moreover, when reacting to Beyonce’s video, the girl expressed her disgust in

relation to the artist herself by stating that she looks “fat” and generally “horrible”. That

statement spices up the fact and decision of designers to make celebrities and models as the faces

of their fragrances, i.e. reflecting the culture those fragrances are being released for and into.

The fact that in contrast to 11-year girl, 30% of respondents acknowledged the fact of

Beyoncé’s presence in the video as a positive trait and as a potential motivator for consumers to

buy the fragrance, proves the fact of cultural and societal conditions being the principal ones in

audio-visual product consumption. And those traits have to be investigated for the possible

sources of erotic energy.

For that purposes I went online and searched through multiple articles revealing the sexiest

fragrance commercials ever released. But most of them “checked” through all the above stated

erotic traits, which was making no sense to investigate further having obtained the questionnaire

results proving the erotic component being acknowledged and recognised by the majority of the

respondents. I almost lost faith in finding the target vide when suddenly I came across the article

perfectly completing the jigsaw of the requirement for the third part of my applied research.

5.1. Sexual Construct

Apart from the dashing title, there is number of article addressing the ad with “sexy”: on

popsugar.com27

, nydailynews.com28

, stylenews.peoplestylenews.com29

, elleuk.com30

,

27

CRUEL, J. Watch Amanda Seyfried's Fragrance Spot For Givenchy [cited on 12 March 2015; 19:46]. Available

from the Internet: http://www.popsugar.com.au/beauty/Watch-Amanda-Seyfried-Sexy-Givenchy-Very-

Irr%C3%A9sistible-Ad-30469589 28

MURRAY, R. Amanda Seyfried is the new face of Givenchy fragrances [cited on 12 March 2015; 19:47].

Available from the Internet: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/fashion/amanda-seyfried-new-face-givenchy-

article-1.1333084 29

APATOFF, A. Amanda Seyfried Is the New Face of Givenchy Fragrance [cited on 12 March 2015; 19:48].

Available from the Internet: http://stylenews.peoplestylewatch.com/2013/05/01/amanda-seyfried-is-the-new-face-of-

givenchy-fragrance/

43

telegraph.uk.com31

, etc.; in the article by Jamie Peck conveniently titled “Amanda Seyfried’s

‘Very Irrésistible’ Givenchy Perfume Ad Is Here, And It Is Très Sexy”32

the presence of so

frequently used word “sexy” makes it possible for me to question viewers once again for the

potential sources of sexuality in the given ad. That is exactly what I did by asking people to reply

to two open tasks: describing the video in three words and stating the fact of how it makes them

feel. In the end, the results may be summed up in the following table, where the numbers

following the words represent the number of people using it for reacting to the video (see

ANNEX 4 Table 5 Reaction to "Very Irresistible". Summary of Axial Coding).

The repetitive reactions to the video are 24% respondents described the video as

“unoriginal” and “mysterious”, 18% used clothes as a descriptive reference, and such epithets as

“zorro”, “confused”, “empowering”, “sensual”, “sensuous” and “western” were popular with

12% of respondents. The same number of answers (12%) addressed such features as attention

and the scent. Other significant words stated in the table were used once, but still were used,

which means that there a 6% chance of their actuality in viewing the video, which is more than

nothing, especially when it comes to such relevant words as “social” and “sexy”.

As far as emotional reactions are concerned, the domineering responses in the number of

24% manifested themselves in such feelings as “confusion” and “absence of interest”, followed

by 12% popularity of “funny” feeling in responding to the video.

With only one mention of “sexy” in the responses from 17 people, I inevitable ask the

basis for such a name of the above mentioned article. This gives me a relative permission to state

the possibility of norms and rules of viewers’ perception to be constructed through media. If the

article says so, then it must be, and then, the next time I see the fragrance commercial I must see

it as the one charged with sexy connotations, i.e experiencing arousal and general excitement

dictated by cultural experience and the format norms used in the creation of this particular audio-

visual product, like slow-motion, extreme close-up, the placement of the celebrity as the face of

the fragrance, opposing her to the excited look at male faces and finally making her undress in

front of the camera, even though without skin or body revelations. In the end, we get the point.

30

LAWRENSON, A. Amanda Seyfried Is The Face Of Givenchy Fragrance [cited on 12 March 2015; 19:49].

Available from the Internet: http://www.elleuk.com/beauty/amanda-seyfried-is-the-face-of-givenchy-fragrance-

very-irresistible-givenchy 31

YOUNG, K. Amanda Seyfried replaces Liv Tyler as the face of Givenchy beauty [cited on 13 April 2015; 16:03].

Available from the Internet: http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/article/TMG10029977/Amanda-Seyfried-replaces-Liv-

Tyler-as-the-face-of-Givenchy-beauty.html 32

PECK, J. Amanda Seyfried’s ‘Very Irrésistible’ Givenchy Perfume Ad Is Here, And It Is Très Sexy [cited on 13

April 2015; 15:37]. Available from the Internet: http://www.thegloss.com/2013/05/08/beauty/amanda-seyfried-

givenchy-perfume-ad/#ixzz3Xt94Ly1E

44

The interesting thing about this part of investigation, that is almost completely resembles

the answers of the 11-year girl I previously interviewer, which leaves me with only one

supposition to make, the erotic energy of fragrance commercial might come from media – a part

of society and culture – which states the fact of it having been put in there.

5.2. Conclusion?

The basic analysis written, I must note the benefits of Saussurian approach, which

basically allowed me to analyze the signs as unquestionable barriers of codes.

They say that when something that makes you feel extraordinary is explained to you in

particular set of terms you understand, and the way you feel and this something changes

irrevocably. That is exactly what I have done: I explained the meaning of the audiovisual content

of fragrance commercials through semiotic apparatus. It seems that I should now look at the ad

as an object, coldly and from a researcher’s distance. But for some reason, I do not feel this way

at all.

Truly, this investigation is subjective. For that reason, I would like to add another section

to this research which will cover deeper connotations of the message. Some of them were

brought to the surface of articulation in the course of signified-signifier analysis, and some of

them were already labeled as “ideological”.

Point taken, I may be the only one. But another point taken, Barthes gives a hint that it just

might be not over. In his triple scheme of meaning, Barthes introduces three levels:

1. an informational level: everything a viewer can learn from setting,

costumes, characters, their relations, etc. it is the level of communication;

2. a symbolic level will cover referential symbolism, or stated signifiers with

their articulated connotation (a level of signification). The obvious meaning;

3. the third/open/existing level: evident, erratic, obstinate, where signified

remains unclear to the viewer. would cover anything of signifiance. The obtuse meaning

(Barthes, The Third Meaning, 1977).

I have to address the third meaning in the imagery of fragrance commercials for the sake of

failure to change the way I feel about them after the whole research I have done. Surely there

must be something more to it for me to be captured, petrified, on the edge of the seat when

watching “Very Irrésistible” ad. Apart from all discovered sources of eroticism in an audiovisual

marketing product, I find this particular case extraordinary in way of image construction within a

frame of the video. It is especially clear when we concentrate on the eye lines of all the

characters involved. We see people in a café, men, women, waiters – all of them look at the

45

heroine, but the heroine herself seems to be looking at us. She looks straight into the camera,

which is an exception to cinematographic narrative, yet a very strong method for an advertising

one. I may say that in this case we deal with cinema of attraction, or as Tom Gunning puts it into

words – an exhibitionist cinema (Gunning, 1986). We look at the screen and everything that is

happening on it as if we were looking at a piece of art exhibited in the space of a museum, we

are given power to watch, yet we fall in front of the imagery empowered to attract us, to make us

feel, to make us emotionally respond to it. But it is a trap, either because of the look at the

camera, which according to Brecht is a cinematographic tool of abjection (Vernet, 1989); or the

natural outcome of advertising the scent.

The most important significance that still remains unarticulated is the scent itself. The fact

is, it simply cannot be included into audiovisual range due to natural reasons – it is invisible. The

process of its visualization is achieved through secondary means – signifiers of signifiers. The

scent remains absent. It is the absent signified, and yet it is present through the means of multiple

signifiers, which signify other signified. In the end the whole film appears to be the signifier of

the scent.

The culture of fragrance commercials has been operating on these conditions for so long

that audience takes this essential drawback for granted. As a result, we watch the mystery, we

desire a dream, we purchase a promise. We go through those “dream dealers (Tomlinson, 1990,

p. 414)”: the captured liquid dream that seems almost real thanks to the on-screen vivid portrayal

of the one-vial-far reality.

46

CONCLUSION

In the end, I was able to fulfill all the objectives I set myself in the research. In the result,

the distinctive features of image-repertoire were reveled through the theoretical prism of such

authors as Roland Barthes, Jacque Lakan and Allan Carol Purves.

All these traits were addressed in the research in this way or another, used as design

shapers, framework setters, selection framers or content identifiers. As a result, the research

revealed the traits of the contemporary society, with viewers being audiovisually cultured and

rationally rather than subconsciously driven in response to audiovisual content. The society itself

turns to be the carrier of “sexy” dominant, especially when estimated thought the prism of

leading online sources in the sphere of lifestyle, a part of which fragrance commercials are.

Apart from proving the erotic essence of image-repertoire itself, the research identified the

main sources of erotic energy it becomes charged with. As it turns out, it comes from grounds,

but most of them are defined by three comprisers of image-repertoire:

1. The viewer;

2. The audiovisual item;

3. The viewing.

In the result, the erotic energy is resulted by:

the process of viewing, which had been proven to be sensory;

image-repertoire

implies conditioned

sensory response

happens in narcissistic zone of the

psyche

involves gap

lacks knowledge

is conditioned by discourse

has erotic nature

47

the image-component to an audiovisual item, which has been proven to be adorable in sense

which Roland Barthes put in there;

the discourse, which is shaped by culture and society, and has been proven to contain a

“sexy” dominant;

the audio component to an audiovisual item, which has been proven to manifest in arousing

music both in the content-sense of the selected videos and the viewers’ experience;

the viewer, whom I did not have a chance to actually investigate, but whose specifics and

attitudes were captured as of interest while the empirical investigation and in the

conversation with the professor of Fontys Academy for Creative Industries Sven van den

Berg, who had confirmed the great degree of personality involved in the message decoding

process33

.

The results may be visually captured in the following graphic item:

33

Interview [cited on 26 April 2015; 23:19]. Available from the Internet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0aI2a_l56M

sensory viewing

•sensed images

•arousing music

•driving desire

adorable imagery

•slow motioned

•close-up-ed

•introducing beuty concepts (body, models)

contemporary discourse

•"sexy" dominant

•cultured viewers

arousing music

the viewer

•personal background

•psychology

•inividual traits

•expectations

48

Fact: While our discourses obviously create meaning they do not contain within them the

possibility of meaning, of human creating meaning out of our active relations to one another and

to the world we are embedded. Discursive meaning is only one level or one dimension of

meaning in the broader sense, rather than the primary aspect of meaning it is often taken to be in

the social sciences today. That means that this research, being my first attempt in audiovisual

sensory experience articulation, needs the discussion - first, and continuation - second.

Evaluating the results, it was good in building theoretical framework and interpreting the

content analysis of the selection. Yet, the representative quality of selection can be questioned, as

well as demographic representation of the respondents was more conditioned by my ability to

reach people, rather than to make a representative outcome happen.

There was no path for me to follow in the semiotic woods of image-repertoire, that is why

having put myself three only three objectives and one research questioned, it backfired with

multiple approaches, including psychology, linguistics, semiotics, applied research, film studies,

a little of psychoanalysis and sociology, spiced by the whole lot of interpretation, which resulted

in findings applicable for another leap of investigation. For example, the content analysis of the

selection followed by empirical research of perception revealed the fact of social confusion

between the concept of sensuality and sexuality, which might be an interesting issue to

concentrate on in sociologic section. The quiz on arousal turned to be a multi-layered valuable

cultural, social and psychological content generator I managed to interpret only 20% of. And the

interview with 11-year-girl revealed the promising hypothesis of sexual construct being

implemented in the contemporary process of socialization.

Many interesting issues were addressed in open questionnaires, that is why I am planning

on continuing the research by conducting several in-depth interviews with people who have

already participated in the questionnaires, to create the depth of the collected data by

complimenting it with personal touch, because for now “the viewer” source of erotic energy still

remains hypothetical, and not empirically proved. Another interesting direction for me as a

future researcher is the results of the online quiz which grows in submission numbers every day,

exposing potential research questions in demographic, gender and audiovisual issues.

All in all, this research was a pleasurable adventure to work on all way through: searching

for the answers from the best, getting feedback from the numerous, and producing the original

content with the heart and soul of my own. Even though there are gaps in it – those are the exact

reason for me to continue.

49

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53

ANNEX

ANNEX 1 Table 2 Signifiers of the selection

Fragrance

commercial Signified Content signifier Form signifier

ACQUA DI GIOIA

BY GIORGIO

ARMANI

Sensuous

desire

nature, body, touching, parted lips, water

(rain, ocean, mist), look in the camera,

verbal message with female voice, music,

bottle on the screen

close-up, slow-motion,

fragmentation, montage

(nature+body, distant

shot+close-up), moving camera

with nature, static camera with

body, camera, blue tone

HEAT BY

BEYO C

Sensual

desire

bottle and spraying, body, touching, fire,

mirror reflection, look in the camera, the

message from the heroine, voice over

verbal message by male voice, song

(lyrics)

red tone, combination of

different shots and angles

PARISIENNE YSL:

KATE MOSS

Sexual

desire

two story lines, body, female and male,

touching, flower, fragmentation, flower as

phallic symbol, gasping sounds, parted

lips, bottle, look in the camera, female

voice-over

Grey/lilac tone, rhythmic

montage

VALENTINA BY

VALENTINO

Social

desire

story, on-screen sounds, bottle, events,

female voice-over

real tone, slow motion,

cinematographic montage (full-

shot-medium-shot-close up)

ANNEX 2 Table 3 Linguistic and Audio Codes of the Selection

Fragrance commercial Signified Linguistic Audio

ACQUA DI GIOIA BY

GIORGIO ARMANI

Sensuous desire French, female

The Cinematic Orchestra - Arrival of

the birds

HEAT BY BEYO C Sensual desire

Sexual desire

English, male “Fever” by Beyoncé

PARISIENNE YSL: KATE

MOSS

English, female Depeche Mode 1993 hit “I Feel

You”

VALENTINA BY

VALENTINO

Social desire English, female Paolo Conte – Via Con Me

54

ANNEX 3 Table 4 Axial Coding: Results

Acqua di Gioia by

Giorgio Armani

Sensuous

94 %

Not sexy, social, feel 2, nature 4, water, body 2, touching, adventure 2,

music 3 ,senses, sexy, color, inner, fresh, purity, enjoy 2, self, perfume,

escape

Sensual

6% Enjoy, mystery, nature, fresh, adventure, arousal, pleasure, senses

Heat by Beyoncé

Sensual

53 %

strong, independent, Beyoncé 2, arousal, body 2, touching, sensual,

intimacy, social, attraction 2, red color 2, music 2, seduce, feel,

relationship 2, sexy 2, fantasy,

Sexual

47 %

Kinky, hot, controversial, music, close-up, body 3, sex 5, seduce 3, fire,

Beyoncé 3, confidence, voice, oil, attractive, smell 2

Parisienne YSL: Kate

Moss

Sexual

53 %

a relationship, fantasy sexual activities 3, adventurous woman, sexy 4,

partner 2, pleasure 2, intercourse, 3, social, feel,

who want to be sex symbols, music

Sensual

47 %

Elegant, indecisive , suspicious, enjoy 2, body 3, touching 3, society, Kate

Moss 2, sexual intercourse, sexy, city 2, romance, wild,

Valentina by Valentino

Social

100%

Confidence, social 3, responsibility, company, adventure 2, attractive, feel

2, free, escape, event, people 2, young 3, no sex 3

ANNEX 4 Table 5 Reaction to "Very Irresistible". Summary of Axial Coding

Describe it in several key words: what is it

like?

How does it make you feel?

zorro 2, independent, mysterious 4,

confidence, clothes 3, unoriginal 4, rule the world,

attention 2, don’t understand the interest 2, the scent

2, boring, effective, empowering 2; sexy, Sensual

2, calm, cute, hard outside, but soft inside, “Femme

fatale”, very sensuous 2, dominant, sensuous 2,

intriguing, vibrant, bright, fun, wild west inspired 2,

playful, social, horrendously fake, feminism, cliché,

wtf?, colossal music

Confident, confusion 4, not interested 4,

independent of society, better than other

commercials because there is no accent on nudity,

curious, bored, I would like to be such a woman!,

spellbound, funny 2, happy, embarrassed,

enjoyable, good, calm

55

ANNEX 5 Questionnaire template Thank you for your decision to take part in my research. It will only take you 10-15 minutes. Please,

save the document to your computer, fill in the task, and send it back to nastia.yeremenko@gmail.com

Let me know if you are interested in the results of the investigation. I will be able to publish the whole

research online by June 2015.

This questionnaire requires you to watch 5 videos and complete three tasks afterwards.

Watch the videos in the suggested playlist on YouTube. You can make notes while watching. Then

complete the following tasks.

1. Describe the video using one word from the list which best describes the video: social,

sensuous, sexual, sensual. Each word can only be used once, i.e. there is a word for each video.

Then shortly explain your choice of the adjective (it can be related to the picture, sound, or the

way you feel about the commercial). There are no right answers, do not worry about making a

mistake. For understanding the given words better, please see Definitions at the end of the

questionnaire. I strongly recommend looking them through even if you are sure of their meaning.

ACQUA DI GIOIA BY GIORGIO ARMANI

HEAT BY BEYO C

PARISIENNE YSL: KATE MOSS

VALENTINA BY VALENTINO

2. Describe a person for whom this commercial was made. What could motivate people to

buy the fragrance it advertises. Express your opinion, there is no right answer to this.

ACQUA DI GIOIA BY GIORGIO ARMANI

HEAT BY BEYO C

PARISIENNE YSL: KATE MOSS

VALENTINA BY VALENTINO

56

3. Watch another video. Describe it in several key words: what is it like?

How does it make you feel?

4. Please, note some information about yourself34

:

Age:

Gender:

Country:

Thank you once again for your time and participation.

DEFINITIONS

“Social” meaning of or relating to society or its organization.

“Sensuous” meaning relating to or affecting the senses rather than the intellect.

“Sexual” meaning relating to the instincts, physiological processes, and activities connected with

physical attraction or intimate physical contact between individuals.

“Sensual” meaning of or arousing gratification of the senses and physical, especially sexual, pleasure.

P.S. If you are particularly interested in this research area, I am planning on organizing separate

interviews. Let me know if you can devote an hour of your time for related to this topic discussion by

sending an e-mail themed “research interview” to nastia.yeremenko@gmail.com

34

This information is necessary for the data interpretation. No other personal information will be used in the

research.